Remember Every Desperate Whisper
by Halawen
Summary: EMT Drew Torres is called to a house after a woman is brutally attacked and it's a routine call until he sees the victim. When beautiful Clare captivates him he vows to do all he can to help her heal. Drama & fluff one shot.


**Welcome to tonight's shot, this is dedicated to my biggest Clew fan Truebloodfan83 who requested it and had a vision she trusted me to bring to life.**

 **Legal: I am not associated with DeGrassi or Epitome in any way.**

 **Important things to know before reading:**

 ***Drew Torres is an only child, he 24 and an EMT**

 ***Owen is Drew's best friend and his EMT partner**

 ***Clare Goldsworthy is 23 and married to Eli**

 ***Clare's parents are Helen & Glen, her siblings are Darcy, Jake & Adam**

 ***The beginning of this is intense and has trigger warnings for violence**

 **Remember Every Desperate Whisper**

 **(CLARE)**

"Eli stop," I plead as he pulls down a bookshelf. Books and knick knacks fall off the shelf scattering across the floor.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND," Eli yells.

"I'm going to get your pills," I tell him turning around. Lately his bipolar episodes have been getting worse. His medication was working but a couple years after we got married he stopped taking it. After a particularly bad raging episode I convinced him to go to the doctor and get new medication. That was working very well but recently he's stopped taking that as well.

"NO I DON'T NEED THOSE PILLS I CAN'T THINK WITH THEM," Eli hollers tearing our wedding picture off the wall and tossing it near me.

"Fine then I'm leaving Eli I can't live this way anymore," I reply heading for the door.

"NO," he screams but I ignore him and continue walking for the door. "You are not leaving me," he sneers grabbing my arm and spinning me around. I feel something sharp and cold and then I feel pain and I'm struggling to breathe. I look down to see Eli's hand gripping a knife handle. I'm so shocked and in so much pain I can't even react. "You are not going to leave me, not ever," he says with a cold stare as he removes the knife and then stabs me again and again.

"Eli…please…stop," I beg between tears and struggling, wheezing gasps for air. Eli's hand is covered in blood and it's getting harder and harder to breathe.

He doesn't stop, he stabs me again and I fall to the floor. I see blood soaking my clothes and pooling on the floor, I can hardly breathe and the world is starting to get dark and fuzzy. I hear the knife drop and then Eli runs out of the apartment. I look at the open door and then the world goes black.

 **(DREW)**

"Respond to 624 Hillhurst, twenty three year old female repeatedly stabbed in her home by her husband. Police are on the scene, apartment is clear," dispatch says.

"On our way," Owen says into the radio while I turn on the sirens and we speed over there. Hearing that it was a family violence case is always hard but when you're an EMT a stabbing is a pretty routine call. There's two patrol cars out front of the apartment building and an officer on the stairs. Owen and I get all our gear and the gurney walking to the apartment entry and the officer.

"This way, the victim's name is Clare Goldsworthy she's lost a lot of blood. She was stabbed by her husband and we have a BOLO out," the officer tells us.

We rush upstairs and to the apartment, the police are keeping neighbors back so there's a clear path to the apartment. Owen and I come in; one female cop is doing her best to stem the bleeding. The victim is unconscious and unresponsive, another officer is at her head and I can already hear that she has a punctured lung by the whistling, wheezing sound when she breathes. They move out of the way so we can get to her. When I see her I'm struck by her incredible beauty. She's unconscious, blood pulling around her, it's spattered on her face and yet she's absolutely the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Owen kneels down and cuts off her clothes so we can see her wounds and I mentally slap myself so I can start working. She has three stab wounds all together, one in the upper chest close to her clavicle which is the least concerning. One in the mid chest just below her breast and one in her abdomen I'm certain has lacerated her liver. We stabilize her as quickly as we can and get her on the gurney to take her to the ambulance.

"You drive," I tell Owen and he nods.

I get in back with Clare and hook her to the IV and monitors in the ambulance and I take her hand silently praying that she'll be okay. I know I just met her and I know nothing about this woman other than her name and that her husband tried to kill her but I'm captivated by her. Owen stops at the hospital and we kick into action, I unhook Clare from the monitors in the ambulance and we roll the gurney out and run into the hospital.

"Twenty-three year old female with three stab wounds, one punctured her lung and it's close to collapsing. One in her upper abdomen possibly perforated her liver. Pulse low and thready, respirations shallow, BP 60 over 80 and dropping," I tell the doctors who hurry over.

The doctor starts yelling orders and they run with the gurney down the hall to a trauma bay. I watch them until Owen lightly hits my shoulder and we walk back out to the ambulance. There's little rest as our next call is a car accident and I have very little time to think of the beautiful woman whose life is hanging by a thread. When my shift ends I'm exhausted but after I change into my street clothes I go back to the hospital to check on Clare.

"Hi I'm one of the EMT's that brought Clare Edwards in and I wanted to see how she's doing," I tell the reception nurse.

"Let me see, looks like Clare is still in surgery, it will probably be another hour," the nurse tells me.

"Thanks," I nod and leave the hospital to drive home and get some sleep. As I drive I make a silent vow to do whatever I can to help Clare to heal in every way possible.

I get home and eat before getting into bed, I even dream about Clare, I don't even know this woman but she's totally invaded my mind. I can't stop thinking about her and without ever having met her I care about her and I'm worried about her. When I wake up I eat a little and then go down to the hospital.

"Hi Drew," Henry greets me. He's been working at this hospital a couple of years and I've met him a few times when bringing patients in.

"Hey is there an update on Clare Edwards?"

Henry sits down at the computer and begins typing, "She made it through her surgeries but she's in a coma, the next 48 hours will be critical. She's currently stable but weak she was in surgery for nearly ten hours and they had to remove part of her liver. Her right kidney was also perforated but they were able to repair that. Right now they're worried about the possibility of her going septic but they are giving her lots of antibiotics. It's a waiting game to see if she makes it through the next 48 hours and wakes from the coma."

"Thanks," I say to Henry and turn around to see a guy looking at me with his eyebrows pinched together.

"How do you know my sister?" He questions.

"I don't, I mean I've never met her before. I'm one of the EMTs that brought her in yesterday. Drew Torres," I introduce myself extending my hand to him.

"Adam Edwards," he replies shaking my hand. "You can come and see her if you want. They said she would know that we were around and to talk to her," Adam says.

"Yeah I'd like that if it's okay with your family."

"Yeah it will be fine, they'll be happy to have someone else there. Eli, her soon to be ex-husband, turned himself in. He confessed to stabbing her and took a plea of attempted murder but he hasn't been sentenced yet," Adam tells me. I hear the pain in his voice, the strain of it all and I see how tired he is. The last twenty hours must have been the worst of his life. He sounds like he just needs to talk and when I enter Clare's room I get the impression they've done very little talking and a lot of crying in the last several hours. You can tell that they're trying to be happy and positive for Clare's sake but everyone in the room looks like they might crack at any moment. I think the news about Eli was fairly recent and they're grappling with that along with watching their loved one near death. "This is Drew he's one of the EMTs that brought Clare in yesterday and he came to check on her," Adam introduces me.

"How very sweet of you I'm Clare's mother Helen and this is her father Glen," the older woman in the room with short dark hair says. She gets up and hugs me tightly while Glen shakes my hand.

"This is Darcy and Jake our older brother and sister," Adam tells me and they both wave.

"It's nice to meet you," I say with a small smile.

"How's she doing?" I ask going to Clare's bedside and looking at her. Even hooked up to tubes and wires she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"She's stable for now but still critical, they told us the surgeries went well but her body has been through a lot. They said the coma was good though because it would allow her to concentrate on healing," Adam says.

"Yeah it will. You know you all look like you could use some fresh air and maybe some coffee. I can sit with her so she won't be alone," I offer.

"Drew's right, you should all go out and take a break I just took one it helps to get out of the room for a moment," Adam speaks up.

"Yeah come on we need to eat, Clare won't be alone," Darcy insists standing up and going to her mom. Jake does the same to his dad and the four of them leave the room.

"Your family seems nice," I comment to Adam when the others are gone.

"They are we're pretty close, Darcy's the oldest and Jake's only eighteen months younger than her, he's fourteen months older than Clare and she's only ten and half months older than me. Mom got pregnant with me right after Clare. We've always been almost like twins and best friends our entire lives. We met Eli in high school, Clare and were both in grade ten and Eli transferred from another school, he was a year ahead of us and eight months older than Clare. The fact that he wore all black and drove an antique hearse should have been our first sign that he was trouble but none of us saw it. He fell for Clare almost instantly but he became friends with both of us. We were inseparable and it wasn't long before Eli and Clare were dating. After a few months of them dating he began to get controlling and when she tried to break up with him he crashed his hearse into a wall. He spent the next six weeks with a cast on his foot but he thought it was all worth it because she came to the hospital to see him. They kept their distance after that for a few months, Clare began dating another boy and she and Eli became friends again. We found out Eli was bipolar and he went on medication and he was better, calmer anyway. He and Clare got back together in his senior year and dated for most of the year but broke up again after Eli took drugs. He never did that again and they got back together at prom. Clare got cancer that summer, stage two rhabdomyosarcoma and Eli came home from NYU to take care of her. He spent our senior year with us and we all went to New York the following year. They were engaged after a few months and they've been married three years. Eli's had small episodes before when he's skipped his meds but never anything like this. He's never hurt Clare before, he tried to kill her, how could he do this to her?" Adam looks at his sister, taking her hand and wiping a few tears away. "I'm sorry, I kind of just blurted that all out," he apologizes after a minute.

"It's okay, I'm glad I know of that. I feel like I know her a little bit now. I know you don't know me or anything about me and I only saw your sister for the first time yesterday when I was trying to save her life but I want to do everything I can to help her heal. I've been captivated by her she's stolen my heart," I tell Adam and he grins.

"You're welcome here any time Drew," he tells me.

I smile at Adam and we sit with Clare until the rest of her family comes back. I say goodbye and go home. I have the next day off and I go back to the hospital to see if Clare's awake, check on her and I begin to form friendships with her family. Adam and I are becoming friends fast and her parents think I'm sweet. I spend a lot of time talking with Adam, getting to know Clare through the words of her brother.

"Hey Drew ready for another 24 hour shift?" Owen greets me when I get into the locker room.

"It's Saturday night it will probably be a busy one," I comment as we begin changing.

The first part of the shift is super busy, a car crash involving a drunk driver and a family. Right after that we get a call for kids at a party suspected alcohol poisoning and twenty minutes after that, while we're trying to eat, we get a call about a woman who fell and landed on exposed rebar which has penetrated her neck. We take the woman to Toronto Western which is the same hospital Clare is at so after the doctors take her I look at Owen.

"I'll meet you back at the ambulance in a few minutes I want to go check on someone," I tell him.

"Check on who?" He inquires.

"I'll meet you at the ambulance," I repeat and walk to the elevator to go upstairs.

"Hi Drew," Adam smiles when I walk into Clare's room and the rest of the family smiles at me.

"I'm on shift but I just came to see how she was doing."

"The same but if she makes it through these next few hours she'll have passed the critical point. I probably won't stop by until after I'm shift again tomorrow but I'll try to come back up if we bring someone else to this hospital," I tell them squeezing Clare's hand briefly.

"Cool. Darcy and Jake have to go home tomorrow, they have to return to work and the doctor's say it could be months or years before she wakes up," Adam says.

"If she even wakes up," Jake speaks up.

"She'll wake up," Adam asserts giving his older brother a harsh look.

"I'm sure she'll wake up. I have to go but I'll come back when I'm off shift tomorrow." I wave to them, look at Clare one last time and go back down to the ambulance.

"So who were you checking on?" Owen questions.

"Clare," I reply as he starts driving off.

"The woman who got stabbed by her husband the other day?"

"Yeah I spent most of the day with her yesterday and her family."

"You fell for a patient?!" Owen exclaims.

"I didn't fall for her, not really I just want to get to know her," I reply.

"So how is she?"

"She's in a coma but I'm going to go every chance I get."

 **(CLARE)**

I feel like I've been caught in a dark dream for a long time, the kind of dream where you keep thinking that you woke up but you're still caught in the dream. I feel heavy and my eyes struggle to open, I try to catch my breath and breathe deeply but that's hard. I suddenly become aware of voices and people, I try to move and reach out for them but even movement is difficult.

"Clare, Clare wake up," it's Adam's voice and I feel him squeezing my hand. "Open your eyes Sis," Adam encourages and I find the strength to open my eyes. Suddenly that dream I was stuck in vanishes and I'm in a sun filled hospital room with my parents and younger brother.

"I'll go get a doctor," Dad says leaving the room.

"Thank heavens you're awake," Mom smiles kissing my forehead. Suddenly aware of all the tubes and wires around me I begin pulling at them.

"No you need those, you've been in a coma for three weeks just relax the doctor will be in soon," Adam tells me and then the door opens and dad comes back in with a doctor.

"Nice to see you awake Clare I'm Doctor Rifkin. You won't be able to talk just yet you've been in a coma for a little over three weeks and you went through a big trauma and major surgery. Right now I'm just going to do a quick exam, can you blink your eyes for me?" She asks and after a few seconds of effort I blink my eyes. "Good I'm going to ask you a few yes or no questions as I do the exam. I want you to blink once for no & twice for yes," she says.

The doctor starts at my feet checking reflexes and sensation; she moves up my body this way, checks my sutures & occasionally asks if something hurts. Then she checks my eyes and throat and asks me a few cognitive questions. When she asks me if I remember what happened I shake my head. She says I'm doing well other than some retrograde amnesia and muscle atrophy, both common for coma patients, I'm doing pretty well. She tells me that my surgeon will come in and I'll probably have some tests because of the delicate nature of my surgeries there could be side effects. Then she leaves and I look at my brother. He knows what I'm thinking without me having to say a word.

"Eli stabbed you, he had an episode and he lost it. He turned himself in though and he pled guilty, he's waiting to be sentenced," Adam says and I close my eyes.

Mom tells me I need to divorce him and Dad tells me Eli will be going to prison for several years and I'll be better off without Eli. I can't argue with them or give them my opinion because I can't talk yet. My parents do leave the room to go call Jake and Darcy and let them know I'm awake. I'm also visited by at least three doctors and taken for an MRI of my abdomen to look at scar tissue around the sutures or any complications they hadn't previously been aware of. When I return to my room there's a man sitting with Adam that I've never seen before. My bed is wheeled back into place and the orderly's leave I look at the unfamiliar man.

"Clare this is Drew Torres he's one of the EMTs that brought you in and he's been coming by every day to check on you and see if you were awake yet," Adam explains.

I smile a little but I'm not able to smile much I'm still regaining muscle control. It's such an odd and frustrating feeling, knowing how to do things but not being able to. I haven't moved in three weeks it's like stuck in quick sand in some ways.

"I'm happy to see you're awake and see those beautiful eyes," Drew tells me giving me a charming grin. I smile back but I can't talk yet, they said I shouldn't try talking for at least a day. I had a collapsed lung because one of the times Eli stabbed me it punctured my lung. I had a breathing tube in for two weeks until I was strong enough to breathe on my own. "I brought you these, Adam said they were you're favorite," Drew tells me motioning to flowers on the bedside table. "I should go, I have a shift soon but Adam called me and told me you were awake so I came to see you. I'll stop by tomorrow when I get off shift," Drew says and waves before he leaves my room.

My parents and Adam tell me all about how Drew came by every day, often right before his shift and right after his shift even though he was exhausted. Mom seems to think Drew's in love with me despite the fact that he's never even met me before. Apparently Drew had a lot of time to get to know my parents and Adam because they seem to know all about him. Even though I've done nothing all day I'm totally exhausted and I fall asleep while my family is talking. This time it's not a heavy sleep and I don't get stuck in an endless dream, I wake up late the next morning finding only Adam in my room.

"A…" my voice cracks and squeaks not quite forming a word. I clear my throat and try again. "Adam," I say a whole word this time but it still comes out scratchy and squeaky. It's enough to get Adam's attention however as he looks up from his book.

"Hey sis how do you feel?"

"Tired still but better than yesterday," I tell him. My voice is weak and strained but is becoming stronger the longer I talk. "You're always here," I comment.

"Not always but I work from two to six in the morning at the radio station so I'm here a lot. We wanted someone to be with you always. We almost lost you we weren't taking any chances. Darcy and Jake both send their love and they'll come back to visit as soon as they can. Mom and Dad are at work but they'll stop by later and Drew will be by pretty soon."

A nurse comes in with food for me and I'm actually quite hungry. After that a doctor comes in and they're happy to see that I can talk and tell me my voice will return to normal soon. I also need to begin physical therapy right away since my muscles have atrophied some. They did work my muscles a little while I was in a coma but there's only so much you can do with a person who had major and delicate surgery. When the doctor leaves Drew comes in.

"Hi Drew," I smile politely.

"Hey you're talking that's great," he grins.

"I'm going to go get some breakfast do you want anything?" Adam asks and I shake my head.

"My family seems to think you're in love with me," I comment to Drew when Adam is gone.

"Well I don't know you well enough to be in love with you so I wouldn't say that. However I did make a vow to do all I could to make you healthy and strong again and to help you heal," Drew informs me walking to my bed and sitting on the edge. "From the moment I saw you I wanted to help you. It was…captivation at first sight," he says and I smile.

"It's sweet of you to come by every day; it's a lot of effort for someone you don't even know."

"Actually I do know you now, at least somewhat, Adam's told me a lot about you. I know your favorite band, song, movie, flower, your favorite game as kids. Adam told me a lot. You were pretty much all we talked about although I did tell them all about me and my family but you were unconscious. I'll tell you anything you want to know though, you can ask me anything," Drew says.

"I wouldn't know what to ask but if I think of something I'll let you know."

"I'll be here every day, just as I promised. Have the doctor's said anything new?"

"Only that I have to start physical therapy today. I've healed enough that I can get out of this bed, only into a wheelchair for physical therapy but I'm already sick of this bed."

"It will be hard but I know you'll get through it and it will help you get stronger. I can stay for the session if you want?" Drew offers.

"No you look exhausted you should go home and rest. Anyway I don't know what this first session will entail and I doubt it will be pretty."

"Probably not but you're very pretty," Drew grins and it makes me blush.

 **(DREW)**

"Good Clare sit up and grab Drew's hands," Diedrich tells Clare.

He's her physical therapist and she's been in the hospital a total of five weeks now. Of course three of those were in a coma but she's been awake for these last two. I've been helping her in physical therapy for the last week. After a week of me dropping by every day and her getting to know me, and me getting to know her a little better, she began to trust me. I've been spending just about every spare moment I have at the hospital with her and mutual feelings are developing but there are still some hurdles.

Obviously she still has a lot of healing to do, not just physically but the hardest thing will be healing mentally and emotionally. Last week Eli was sentenced to ten years for attempted murder and a couple of days ago her divorce papers were filed and approved. I know all that was hard on her. It's been really difficult for her come to terms with the fact that her husband tried to kill her. The fact that he snapped and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife even if it was during a bipolar episode was hard for her to take. She still doesn't remember any of it, and they say she probably never will but she was married to Eli for three years and in love with him for much more than that. She had heard the story from everyone me and Owen included, he dropped by to see her once and we told her everything from the moment we got there. Adam and her parents told her what the police said and some of her neighbors had come by and told her what they knew but Clare was still grappling with her emotions and feelings for her now ex-husband and she wouldn't talk about him, not even with Adam. He and I had become very good friends these last few weeks. We'd even hung out a few times away from the hospital, gone to a bar with Owen and that sort of thing.

"Good job now five more," I tell Clare when she manages to sit up and grab my hands.

"It hurts," she groans lying back down and tugging her hospital shirt up. She frowns when she sees the suture marks that are slowly turning scars.

"Take a moment, breathe and relax and then do five more. I'll be back in a moment," Diedrich tells her.

"You know as soon as the session is over you're out of the hospital. You can go home today, well to Adam's anyway," I remind her. While she was in a coma and Eli was arrested her parents and some friends cleared out her apartment and she'll be staying with Adam until she's well enough to have an apartment of her own again.

"I know but I can't do five more I'm exhausted and it hurts," Clare complains.

"Yes you can but just rest for now. I was thinking I would bring you guys dinner tonight. Maybe we could watch a movie," I comment slowly.

"That sounds a lot like a date," Clare comments.

"Yeah sort of like a date with Adam as a chaperone," I say and she smiles softly.

Diedrich returns and Clare manages five more sit ups and then she's exhausted. She's taken back to her room to change and sign discharge papers. I tell her I'll see tonight and leave her to go home and get settled. I almost go home but then I go to Owen's, we have the same shifts so I'm sure he'll be home and when I knock on his door he answers.

"I thought you'd be helping Clare get settled in at home," Owen comments as he lets me in.

"Her family will do that. I offered to come over and cook later," I tell him.

"Then why don't you look happy?"

"Because I don't know if I should even be doing this. She's been through so much and I've only known her a few weeks."

"I've never seen you this way about any other girl. You care about her I know you do and she's been through a lot but it will be good for her to have someone like you after what's she's been through. Take it slow and give her time but from what I've seen of the two of you together, and it wasn't much, it would be good for both of you."

"Thanks I guess I just needed to hear it. I should go I need to pick up some stuff to make dinner tonight," I grin and leave Owen's place. I go grocery shopping and then go home to shower and change before going to Adam's apartment. I knock on the door and Clare answers after a moment. "Where's Adam?" I inquire.

"I suggested that he take the night off and go hang out with friends since you were coming over," she tells me and I smile.

"You should sit down I'll cook," I tell her and she sits on the sofa. I start to cook and we talk a little while I cook and then we sit down to eat.

"This is great," Clare smiles when we sit down to eat and she's had her first bite.

"It's my mom's recipe."

"I think you're very sweet and kind, I appreciate everything you've done for me and I do think there's something between us but I don't know how much I'm ready for."

"I know that, we don't have to do anything, I'm more than happy to just be friends."

"I talked to Adam about it most of the afternoon. He encouraged me to give it a chance and after all you've done for me I know I can trust you. I also know I have feelings for you but after all I've been through I'm not sure that I can trust those feelings. Not yet anyway but I do want to try I want to give us a chance."

"Me too," I smile.

"For now let's just do dinners here," she says.

"Whatever you need, you just tell me and I'll make it happen. I'm going to help you heal Clare, whatever it takes and however long it takes."

 **(CLARE)**

"You look beautiful," Darcy smiles at me as she fixes the bridal tiara on the top of my head.

"I feel more beautiful than I did on my first wedding day."

Drew and I dated for a year, falling a little more in love with each other each time we saw each other. After a year of dating he proposed to me at a hockey game, it came up on the big screen over the rink **Marry Me Clare Edwards**. He held up the ring and the hockey players skated onto the rink forming a heart. Drew orchestrated the whole thing and I was amazed, and also deeply in love with him so of course I said yes. We moved in together after he proposed which means I finally moved out of Adam's place. Adam is currently dating Drew's longtime friend Bianca. Eli is still in prison and doesn't qualify for parole for another year, he does know I'm getting remarried, I felt it was best to inform him to know but we haven't had any communication besides that.

"As you should, Drew treats you like a queen and you look like a queen right now," Darcy smiles.

"Are you ready Clare?" Mom asks coming in the room and I nod.

She goes out to tell them I'm ready and the music starts up. Bianca is my Bridesmaid and she walks down the aisle with Adam, Owen's Groomsman. Darcy is my Maid of Honor and Owen is Drew's Best Man and he escorts her down the aisle then I'm escorted by both my parents. I take Drew's hands when I get to the end of the aisle and the officiator welcomes everyone and thanks them for joining us on this day. He says a prayer and talks about love and life and then asks Drew to say his vows.

"Clare you captured my heart from the moment I saw you. I wanted to know you, to help you, to see you heal and meet the amazing person I knew you were at first sight. In the last two years I've fallen more and more deeply in love with you. Every day you amaze me and I look forward to the rest of our lives together."

"Drew you are a wonderful, generous, amazing, caring person. I spend every day in wonder of the person that you and that you fell in love with me. I love waking up to your grin and in your arms. I have spent two years with you and I look forward to the rest of our lives together and while I don't know what's in store for us I know I'll be happy as long as I'm with you."

We exchange rings and say I do and then we kiss, when we break from the kiss Drew picks me up and kisses me again. Then he carries me inside to where the reception is being held.

I still don't remember Eli's attack but I survived it and it brought me Drew. I'm happy and in love, I feel safe with Drew and I'm so incredibly in love with him. I am grateful every day for Drew, grateful that he and Owen were the EMTs that day and that we found each other despite the winding road it took to bring us together.


End file.
